TEST DRIVE MEME ( 019 )

[lifeaftr_mods]

Test Drive Meme #19

Hello, and welcome to LifeAftr! We’re pleased that you’re expressing an interest in the game. Here, you can test the waters, gauge how your character may fare in the world of LifeAftr, and even gain some in-game incentives, if you so choose.

Remember that Reserves will open on January 17th, and Applications on January 24th!

Two important notes:

1. LifeAftr's test drives take place on the island of Mu, which exists apart from the real world and possesses a dream-like quality that characters are innately aware of from the moment they appear on its shores. No need to panic or fret. Dreams are odd things, after all - and anything can happen in them. Why would anyone question where their mind chooses to wander in its sleep?

2. Due to the nature of Mu, threads in our test drive can not only be accepted as thread samples in your application, but can be accepted as game canon as well. In fact, certain choices your character makes in Mu have the potential to bear in-game consequences, largely in the form of test drive reward items.

Let's Be Heroes
Back in December on the recent island of Maati, the Trial of the Brave was intended to challenge those who approached life with hesitation; the timid, the uncertain, and those who trend too easily toward inaction. Mu, of course, has a habit of neglecting the finer details. And thus...here you are, whether you need the intended lesson or not.

Armed with nothing more than a torch, a short sword, and the clothes on your back, you're sure to enjoy the scenic view of labyrinthine stone walls, low-hanging ceilings, sharp corners hiding all sorts of secrets, and a thick, foreboding darkness. Your light, and the torches of others making their way through the dark, are the only breaks in the seemingly uniform dark.

Those and the lights of the eyes of the other things down here with you, of course. Hidden throughout the maze are scattered innumerable creatures, all of them happy to take advantage of those wandering about on their own. Nighthooks are fiendish, shadowy monsters that appear in the shape of a long-fingered hand. While they cannot physically hurt anything, they specialize in slinking out of the darkness to snuff out any light source they can find...like your torch, for example. Also abundand are the grimlings, hulking, dog-like creatures composed of a seaweed-like blackness and glowing coals for eyes. Should you come across one, several more are bound to be nearby, as they travel in packs. And they are always hungry.

For those lucky enough not to stumble across these creatures? Enjoy your stumble through the dark. There's an exit around here somewhere, if you look hard enough. Probably.

The Waiting Game
The second trial Mu has appropriated is the Trial of the Patient. This test was named for those who exhibit the very antithesis of patience, initially intended to draw in the brash, the reckless, those easily incited into action, and so on. Instead of a dark and lengthy maze, Mu has instead concocted a brightly lit room to test your patience, and lack thereof.

So you should have no trouble at all seeing the entirety of the expansive, gaping void that stretches between you and the only way out.

Stranded on a singular ledge, the space in which you wake is white and seemingly infinite. No ceilings or walls are visible, and peering over the edge of the small platform reveals no flooring below to catch you. The only distinct characteristics to this room are the door opposite you, positioned some couple hundred feet away. There's nothing for you to grab or cling to in order to make your way over there faster. In fact, nothing else seems to help, either. Flight, teleportation, gadgets, you name it - each attempt will inevitably fail, and give you just enough time to contemplate all the ways you went wrong as you go plummeting down (or is it up?) into that endless void. What a shame. Luckily for you, this dream is happy to give you a second chance! And a third, and a fourth...and however many it takes, really. Those who fall will, just as the initial adrenaline shock starts to run out, abruptly find themselves standing right back on the platform where they started. Once again, they'll find themselves staring at that infuriating, impossible-to-reach door. Seems like you may be stuck where you are, for the time being.

We say "for the time being," because the other distinct attribute of this loosely defined room is a second platform, drifting steadily from the doorway to your position. Once it reaches you, you'll be able to climb aboard, and be safely ferried across the room to the exit you so greatly desire. Once it reaches you. Once it...well, it seems to be taking some time. A few minutes. An hour. Something in that ballpark, maybe. Got a good book on you? No? Guess you'll have to find some other way to wile away the time.

You, and whoever else you happen to be stuck with.

Water Rising
The island of Ensō is a relatively flat island, aside from a lone, steep mountain to the north. Mu is less so. It tends to mold itself to whatever shape best suits it, and in this case? It has chosen Ensō. And so that is where you find yourself - positioned at the base of its mountain, no less, only several feet up the beginnings of its slope. Unfortunately, there's not much time to take in the new scenery. Stretched out along the island's coast is a beach of glittering white sand. Further inland, the green sprawl of a jungle blots the horizon. But there's also plenty of ocean. And therein lies the problem.

Creeping through the treelines and rapidly pooling about the mountain's base, said ocean levels are rising quickly. Very quickly. Those who wish to stay and enjoy the view of an island underwater are welcome to it. For everyone else, the only other option is the obvious one: to climb.

To climb very, very quickly. As luck would have it, the rising waters aren't the only danger present. Those too slow to escape its wrath will surely drown, but the higher up you go, the thinner the air becomes, and the more searing the heat. To the west, a crop of dangerous creatures known as lungblossoms claim the wooded thickets that offer reprieve from the intense and unrelenting rays of dream-sun. A confrontation with these living plants may expose you to hallucinogenic spores fit to fill your senses with horrific, nightmarish visions, so tread lightly...but not slowly.

At the mountain's very peak, an empty temple awaits those who can make it to the end of this terrible and impromptu gauntlet. It will provide shade and a space for the exhausted survivors to congregate. Tend to yourself and others, if you like- or head back out to locate those who haven't had such luck in reaching this haven.

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( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[smallra]

[All right, this is going well so far. She answered him promptly. Good.]

I am Prince Lotor of the Galra Empire.

[He sees no reason to hide his identity. The stranger continues to not seem dangerous, but Lotor is not going to be fooled easily.]

Why are you here? Tell me what you know about this place.

[He needs more information, but he really doesn't want to outright admit that he doesn't know where he is. That would be a strategic mistake.]

[stormblooded]

The what Empire?

[She's visibly surprised there - after all, she's just recently helped to liberate her homeland from an Empire with a very similar name. (Galra, Garlemald...) As forms of government go, you could say it's not her favorite! It can't be the same Empire, of course - for starters, Lotor's an Elezen (or something), not a Garlean. But it's close enough to put her on edge regardless.

There's no Empire she takes orders from.]

Me? I could ask you the same thing, Your Highness.

[smallra]

Galra. Empire.

[Now Lotor is confused, because how could someone have failed to recognize the name of the greatest empire in the universe?

And now the stranger isn't answering him as readily. It occurs to him that maybe in the future he shouldn't be so open with his full identity, even if he is proud of it. Even if that is tradition. His father would probably say that not announcing himself was cowardice, but Father isn't here right now. He'll give it some thought.

At least she still doesn't seem hostile. There's that. He's still wary, and he doesn't completely lower his sword, but he does relax his fighting stance.]

You could. But I have asked you. Do you choose not to answer?

[stormblooded]

[Lyse pauses - it occurs to her, in hindsight, that it was kind of unfair to give him that kneejerk reaction. She doesn't know anything about him or his homeland, and prince or not, he's still sort of a kid. But she doesn't let her guard down completely, just in case.]

... I'm not refusing. I just don't have much of an answer to give. [That's the unvarnished truth, at least. She glances aside into the shadows, her face stern.]

All I know is, this place gives me a bad feeling. My torch went out a minute ago, but I haven't felt so much as a breeze.

[smallra]

[Lotor doesn't particularly mind her reaction, although he noted it; suspicion only makes sense to him.]

So you know nothing about this place?

[That puts her in the same situation as he's in, if true. So did she show up here like he did?]

A feeling—? You mean an emotion?

[She could mean a physical sensation, although he hasn't felt anything like that. He doesn't have as much faith in emotions as in facts. He feels uneasy himself. Meanwhile, the cat repositions itself around his neck, lashing its tail.]

Kova also dislikes it here.

[What she says about the torch is more concerning. He looks at his own torch thoughtfully.]

There must be an explanation for the torch.

[stormblooded]

[It's not quite emotion or sensation, honestly. Just a gut feeling that there's something Wrong with this place. The coeurl on Lotor's shoulders seems to feel the same way, if the bristling fur says anything. Y'shtola would be able to tell them a lot more, but she isn't here, unfortunately.

At the last bit, she nods.] Oh, I'm sure there is. I just hope it's not an explanation with teeth.

[But something occurs to her all of a sudden. Lyse puts a hand to her chin, thinking.]

Actually... Now that I think of it, this all sounds a little like that Gelmorran ruin they found, doesn't it? From the little I've heard of it, anyway. It's this maze of dark, shifting chambers deep under the forest. All it needs are the hordes of -

[As if on cue, a low growl emerges from the darkness, and with it, a pair of glowing red eyes. Lyse gasps, but drops immediately into a combat stance, her fists raised.]

Voidsent! There you are!

[smallra]

[Lotor considers her words seriously. When she mentions "teeth", his adrenaline surges slightly, not out of fear but in anticipation of a possible battle ahead. That is what he's been looking for: a chance to prove himself.]

Gelmorran? What planet are they from?

[He assumes she must be speaking about a particular species or nationality, but it's not one he's heard of, in spite of his extensive education in such things—Galra do study those they mean to conquer. That's odd. He hasn't heard of any dark, shifting chambers like that— But then, it no longer matters what she was referring to, as the enemy appears.

Lotor shortly follows her into a combat stance, his sword at the ready again. He's pleased to see his companion appears to have some idea of how to conduct herself in battle, in spite of being unarmed. The blade he was given isn't nearly as fine in quality as the swords he's used to using, but it will have to suffice. The enemy is a beast of some kind, large, but not the largest he's faced.

Dauntless, Lotor darts in closer—not going in for a strike, but to lure the beast into action. He hopes to draw it toward him. It's an unknown opponent, so he wants to test how fast and strong it is, and see how it moves. He also wants to see how his "ally" fights. Drawing the beast's attention will open it up to her attack.

His tactic works, at least at first. The grimling lunges for him, and he evades.]